In social studies this year, we will be blending the content from the Grade 5 Role of Government and Responsible Citizenship strand with that from the Grade 6 Canada’s Interactions with the Global Community unit. The entire unit revolves around the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, as students explore how these rights are protected or violated in Canada and in the global community.
Both grades are examining how governments, organizations and individuals are active participants who deal with important issues. We will be examining the issues surrounding the Syrian Refugee Crisis, and examine how the Canadian government and NGOs deal with these issues on the global stage (meeting Grade 6 expectations) and how federal, provincial/territorial, and municipal governments, groups and individual citizens work together to help the Syrian refugees who have come to settle in Canada (Grade 5 expectations).
Students will explore the experiences and perspectives of diverse communities in historical and contemporary Canada and examine how they have contributed to the development of Canadian identity. Particular attention will be paid to Canada's First Nations, Metis and Inuit communities, to reflect the recommendations in the 2015 Truth & Reconciliation Report. Some questions that will be asked include:
What is the Canadian Identity?
How Do the Features of a Community Contribute to Its Identity?
Why Do People Live in Certain Communities?
Where Have Canada's Indigenous Peoples Lived?
Why Do People Have Different Perspectives?